The most dissolute couple in the capital

Cui Qingyi slowly picked up a candied fruit, put it in her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and then asked, "What did everyone say?"

Although Cui Lingyi's husband, Xiao Jue, was only a fifth-rank military officer, the Xiao family's information channels were far superior to those of ordinary fifth-rank officials.

In addition, there's Cui Lingyi's own background...

Cui Lingyi sighed softly: "My mother-in-law said to me a few days ago, 'The Emperor's will is clear, so we should go with the flow.'"

"I heard something interesting from my husband," Cui Qingyi said in a relaxed tone. "After receiving the imperial decree, the Second Prince... oh no, His Highness Prince An, smashed a set of Ding ware white porcelain in his residence that very day."

Cui Lingyi's eyes widened slightly: "This..."

"It's said to have come from his princess's dowry. He doesn't seem to care at all about breaking Lu's things."

Cui Lingyi: "..."

The two exchanged a glance but said nothing more.

Lady Lu has only been married into the family for a short time, and her life has turned out like this...

In his previous life, Li Han wasn't this out of control at this time. It's probably because things have changed in this life. He was already harboring a lot of resentment after being betrothed to Lady Lu. He had finally managed to endure it for half a year, and now his title had been suppressed. It would be strange if he didn't go crazy.

"Actually, I think," Cui Lingyi carefully chose her words, "that what His Highness Prince Yan has done outside is truly substantial. The orphanage, the reform of commercial taxes—aren't those all impressive achievements? On the other hand, His Highness Prince An…"

She paused, then didn't continue.

Cui Qingyi answered for her: "On the other hand, His Highness Prince An's greatest achievement since his marriage is making Miss Lu cry a few times."

Cui Lingyi couldn't help but laugh out loud, then quickly covered her mouth, saying, "Your mouth..."

She touched her belly, her tone thoughtful: "My mother wrote a few days ago, saying that everyone is currently observing the situation. No one dares to say anything openly. After all, the imperial decree was jointly countersigned by four prime ministers, making it legitimate. But privately..."

"Of course, some people are dissatisfied in private. Although there are precedents for princesses being made kings in this dynasty, it is still rare. Those old scholars may not say it, but they must be thinking about the 'hen crowing at dawn' mentality."

Cui Lingyi nodded: "That's right. But some people say that His Highness the Prince of Yan is the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife, and should be ranked first in terms of seniority and lineage, so what's the point of making him a prince—"

She suddenly stopped, looked up at Cui Qingyi: "Tell me, does His Majesty...?"

Cui Qingyi smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

"There's no point in us, as your wives, guessing about these things," she said lightly, changing the subject. "Anyway, if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. Your most important thing right now is to give birth to this little darling safely. You can worry about other things after you've finished your postpartum confinement."

Cui Lingyi was speechless for a moment, then smiled helplessly and said, "That's just how you are. Everything you say is 'it has nothing to do with me.'"

"It has nothing to do with me in the first place," Cui Qingyi said matter-of-factly.

Seeing her "reclusive and wise" demeanor, Cui Lingyi didn't press further and changed the subject.

"By the way, do you know the jokes about the Zheng family?"

Cui Qingyi said, "Oh?" "Which joke? The Zheng family has too many jokes, you need to be more specific."

Cui Lingyi suppressed a laugh: "It's that Wang woman whom Zheng Wenyuan recently married."

"Oh, that. I only heard the beginning, tell me more about it."

Cui Lingyi smiled and pushed her away with a finger: "I heard that less than two months after Wang married into the family, she had a conflict with Zheng Deyin at a flower-viewing banquet. Zheng Deyin insisted that Wang take money from her dowry to sponsor some poetry club gathering, saying something like, 'Sister-in-law should be more generous; this is the face of the Zheng family.' Wang immediately retorted."

Cui Qingyi pricked up her ears.

Cui Lingyi lowered her voice: "Wang said, 'Spending my dowry money on myself is called fulfilling my duty, while spending it on my sister-in-law is called charity. You've read so many books, surely you can tell the difference?'"

Cui Qingyi burst out laughing.

"Madam Zheng misjudged her; this Lady Wang is a tough nut to crack."

Cui Lingyi laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight: "That's right. Zheng Deyin blushed on the spot, turned around and left. Then Madam Zheng came out and scolded Wang Shi in front of everyone, saying that she 'didn't know the rules and disgraced the family.'"

"And then?" Cui Qingyi asked.

"Later, Wang admitted her mistake to her mother-in-law, but I heard that after returning to her room, she sent a letter to her family." Cui Lingyi lowered her voice, "Although the Wang family is a collateral branch, they are still members of the Taiyuan Wang family. Madam Zheng's slap was quite severe, and the Wang family is said to be quite unhappy about it."

Cui Qingyi laughed and said, "Madam Zheng probably thinks that this is just a distant relative, yet they dare to defy me!"

Cui Lingyi was amused by her tone and appearance, and changed the subject again: "Oh, by the way, have you heard? His Highness the Prince of Yan..."

She paused slightly, still somewhat unaccustomed to the new title, "After His Highness the Prince of Yan was granted the title of Prince, some people in the court have already begun to secretly take sides."

"That's normal. Conferring the title of Prince of Yan is tantamount to openly telling the world who His Majesty values ​​most. Those who want to curry favor with the emperor will naturally come running."

"What about Prince Ke'an..."

"Prince An?" Cui Qingyi scoffed. "What he should be most concerned about right now isn't vying for the crown prince position, but how to live a good life with his princess. Miss Lu comes from the Lu family of Fanyang, and she's been neglected like that after marrying into the family. Do you think the Lu family will just let it go?"

Cui Lingyi thought about it and felt it made a lot of sense.

Although the Lu family suffered a hidden loss in this marriage, even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse. The Lu family of Fanyang has a strong foundation, and they are not to be easily offended.

"That's why I say," Cui Qingyi picked up a piece of osmanthus cake, took a bite, and mumbled, "the most entertaining show in the world is someone else's festivities. We should just sit back and watch, and not get involved."

Cui Lingyi shook her head helplessly: "You always act like it's none of your business."

"If it doesn't concern me, of course I'll stay out of it," Cui Qingyi said matter-of-factly. "My current life pursuit can be summed up in four words—enjoying my retirement in peace."

"You're so young, yet you're already old."

"A mental state in old age," Cui Qingyi said seriously.

Cui Lingyi was amused by her and kept laughing. But as she laughed, her stomach cramped up and she quickly pressed it down.

Cui Qingyi immediately sat up straight: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing," Cui Lingyi waved her hand, "This little devil kicked me."

Cui Qingyi breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back.

"Your little one, even before it's born, already knows how to kick people. It's going to be a troublemaker."

Cui Lingyi touched her belly with a happy expression: "Let her be naughty, as long as she's safe and sound."

"Alright, it's getting late, I should go back." Cui Qingyi stood up and tucked the blanket around Cui Lingyi. "Take good care of yourself, I'll come see you again after you give birth."

Cui Lingyi held her hand: "You too, don't overwork yourself. Although you say you're going to relax, I can tell you're still very busy."

Cui Qingyi smiled and said, "Don't worry, anything that makes me willing to take the initiative to do is worthwhile."

She paused, then said in a low voice, "Lingyi, the winds outside are shifting rapidly lately. The Xiao family is a military family; they don't need to get involved in the intricacies of civil officials' politics. Just tell General Xiao to focus on his duties, and that's all..."

Cui Lingyi nodded knowingly: "I understand."